What you need to know
- Fossil has begun rolling out a new update to its Gen 6 smartwatches.
- While not Wear OS 4, the new Wear OS 3.5 update brings small UI changes and a new Bedtime mode.
- The update also comes brings the watches up to the August 1 security patch level.
While smartwatches from Google and Samsung are already enjoying the Wear OS 4 update, other smartwatches are still stuck on Wear OS 3.x. That includes Fossil smartwatches, which are now receiving a new update to Wear OS 3.5.
Both my Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition and Skagen Falster Gen 6 have already received the update, both with build number RFHC.231016.001 and system UI version 1.2.0. At first glance, there's not much difference visually, and for the most part, there don't seem to be too many functional changes.
I did notice Bedtime mode with a moon icon in the Quick Settings menu that I haven't seen before. With this mode enabled, it turns off certain features like tilt-to-wake, likely to keep the watch display from turning on while you sleep. It will only allow notifications from alarms, priority contacts, and repeat callers.
This Bedtime mode option now also shows up in the Do Not Disturb menu, which has been reworked with a "Customize" button. There are also other changes, and the update should include performance enhancements and better battery life (per Gadgets and Wearables), although it doesn't seem like Fossil has provided a changelog.
This follows the 5.1 update that arrived for the Fossil Smartwatches app, which gave the companion app some revamped UI elements.
There were some reports that the update was failing to install on devices, with Fossil responding on Reddit that it was working on a fix. It seems that things are better now, as my smartwatches were able to install them with no problem.
Unfortunately, it still leaves Fossil smartwatch owners wondering if or when the Wear OS 4 update will arrive for their devices. For now, the only way to get it is to own a Pixel Watch 2 (and its predecessor), or Galaxy Watch 6 (and it's predecessors).
